WHY: Because the legislation has been carefully drafted to allow New Jersey residents with debilitating medical conditions access to marijuana to ease their suffering without creating an undue risk of abuse or diversion.

The Seton Hall University Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law & Policy published a Position Paper today that supports the passage of the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. The Center said that the legislation has been carefully drafted to allow New Jersey residents with debilitating medical conditions access to marijuana to ease their suffering without creating an undue risk of abuse or diversion.

The Center cited available medical evidence that supports the use of marijuana to treat each of the debilitating medical conditions set forth in the Act: AIDS/HIV; cachexia (wasting syndrome); cancer; glaucoma; severe and persistent muscle spasms; severe nausea; severe or chronic pain; and seizures.

The Seaton Hall Center also addressed the issues of abuse and diversion. They noted that no state that has passed a medical marijuana law has subsequently experienced an increase in recreational marijuana use among its children and youth. The Act’s multiple safeguards against abuse and diversion of medical marijuana provide further reassurance, it noted. If passed, the Act would be among the most restrictive of all the states’ medical marijuana laws.

Thirteen states, covering about 25% of the U.S. population, currently have medical marijuana programs.

On February 23, the New Jersey Senate voted 22-16 to pass S119, the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. The Assembly health committee voted 8-1 to pass an amended version of the bill on June 4. The bill must now pass the full Assembly. If the amended bill clears the Assembly, it would return to the Senate for a second vote because of the changes before it goes to Gov. Jon Corzine (D), who has said that he will sign the bill if it makes it to his desk.

The mission of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, a 501(c)(3) public charity, is to educate the public about the benefits of safe and legal access to medical marijuana. The Coalition is grateful for this well-researched and well-written Position Paper. For more info, contact:

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Twenty five years ago today, on August 25, 1984, I made a wedding vow to my bride to be as she smiled up at me from her wheelchair. I promised Cheryl that I would protect her and do for her whatever her arms and legs couldn't, till death do us part. I accomplished the second half of my promise, but at times I failed to protect my wife from the pain and spasticity that was symptomatic of her multiple sclerosis. I failed to keep my wedding vow because at times the laws of New Jersey did in fact work well enough to keep me from acquiring the marijuana that could accomplish what Cheryl's legal prescriptions could not.

I set out to change that in 1993 when I pushed Cheryl's wheelchair across the state from Seaside Heights to Trenton with a sign attached that said "Medical Marijuana for Multiple Sclerosis". Last weekend I took Cheryl's wheelchair and that same exact sign out again, this time to attend a rally in support of MS patient John Wilson in Somerville. A lot has changed in those sixteen years, while regretfully some things remain painfully the same. One thing that has changed is the population of MS patients that I originally set out to represent. More than half have died while waiting for their medicine to become legal. One thing that is the same is that medical marijuana is still illegal for sick and dying NJ patients to use as they and their physicians see fit, and they still need your help.

My point is that medical marijuana in New Jersey is not a new issue. The real tragedy of the policy of denying patients access to medical marijuana is the length of time that it has been going on. David G. Evans spoke in opposition to New Jersey's Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana bill at a Senate Health Committee hearing earlier this year. He ended his passionate plea to the committee members (to vote against the bill) by saying "Don't rush to judgement on this issue". Rush to judgement? Approximately 40,000 cancer patients have died in New Jersey while our medical marijuana bill has sat idle in committee. We sure didn't rush quick enough for them and we didn't rush quick enough for Cheryl. So now it's time. NOW! For the vast majority of medical marijuana supporters who are still sitting on the sidelines, there will never be a better time to be as effective as you can be right now.

Cheryl and I could really have used some help during the lonely medical marijuana reform days of the 90's. Now, years later, Cheryl is gone and it is Ray Wilson who is trying to protect his son John and he needs your help. If not you, who? If not now, when? All you have to do is to get in touch with us here at CMMNJ. We can help you know when to send off a well timed email or how to simply call a particular legislator at just the right time. For those of you who are really starting to get the importance of all of this, I'd sure like to meet you at the next gathering at the Somerset County Courthouse in support of John Wilson. You can reach me at pot4ms@yahoo.com to find out when that will be. I look forward to hearing from you.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Although it was extremely hot in front of the Somerset County Courthouse today, I was pleased to see well over a dozen people show up in support of MS patient, John Wilson. John was arrested for growing 17 marijuana plants. That's what the jury will hear. What they won't be hearing is that he uses marijuana medically to treat his symptons of multiple sclerosis, or even that he has multiple sclerosis. Although a scheduled hearing on his case was postponed, our group decided to brave the heat to show up and begin the task of educating the public about John's dilemna.

It is not in dispute that John was growing 17 marijuana plants and it was certainly no surprise when the Somseret County Prosecutor was able to successfully argue that John would not be allowed to tell the jury that he used marijuana medically. There is no legal medical marijuana defense for marijuana possesion/cultivation charges in New Jersey. What really pushes my button though is that John Wilson will not even be allowed to tell the jury that he has multiple sclerosis. He is NOT EVEN ALLOWED TO SAY THAT HE IS SICK (that's me shouting) at his trial or he will face contempt of court charges. The same Judge Reed who has ordered John to not tell the whole truth will soon be asking him in a court of law to raise his right hand and place his left hand on the bible. He will then ask him to swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Two out of three anyone?

It's not just me. I've shopped this scenerio around and have found that there is genuine anger at the prospect of a jury being fooled into thinking that John Wilson is a healthyy man who grew so much marijuana that he had to be planning to profit from it. The prosecutor even made the following absurd comparison to Judge Reed when arguing why the jury should not be allowed to know that John has MS. He opined...if a man robbed a bank and had MS should that have any bearing on the case? No, it's not just me. This attitude towards someone with a life long incurable disease goes beyond disrespect and it deserves a response. Those sentiments seemed to be shared by the media outlets that were invited to attend, as evidenced by the fact that they attended.

We at the Coalition for Medical Marijuana NJ might not be able to help John in court. We may not be able to persuade our Attorney General to step in and decline to go forward with the case. But I can guarantee you one thing that we can and will do for him. We will see to it that this sanctioned obstruction of justice does not take place out of public view. We will shine a light on it in a way that has not before been seen in New Jersey. When the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office sees the media's portrayal of today's gathering they will know that they have seen the tip of the iceberg andI hope that they realize that it's not too late to change course. If not, they will be finding out what I have come to understand a little better today. Times have indeed changed and it's time that they started changing with them.

WHY: Wilson faces 20 years in prison for using marijuana to treat his MS

Members of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. will hold a rally on the sidewalk in front of the Somerset County Court House, 20 North Bridge St., Somerville, NJ on Friday, August 21, 2009 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM in support of multiple sclerosis (MS) patient John Ray Wilson. Wilson faces 20 years in prison for growing 17 marijuana plants that he used to treat his MS. Wilson was charged with “manufacturing” marijuana and he was told by Superior Court Judge Robert Reed during a pre-trial hearing last month that he may not let the jury know that he has MS, or that his use of marijuana was an attempt to treat his disease. This ruling effectively removes Wilson’s only defense for his actions. Wilson plans to appeal the judge’s decision. Wilson is self-employed, has no health insurance and faces mounting legal bills.

The National MS Society recently confirmed in an Expert Opinion Paper that standard therapies often provide inadequate relief for the symptoms of MS such as pain and spasticity, and that marijuana helps with these symptoms and could limit disease progression. “To know that a safe and inexpensive herb like marijuana is able to relieve the pain and spasticity of MS and to actually arrest the progression of this incurable disease is a compelling reason to use it therapeutically,” said Ken Wolski, RN, Executive Director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey. “We want to demonstrate our outrage that Wilson faces many years in prison for this, and that he cannot even explain to the jury why he was using marijuana,” Wolski said. The MS Society estimates that 15% of people with this disease use marijuana for symptom relief.

The "New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act,” which was approved by the New Jersey Senate, awaits a vote in the Assembly. This bill would allow patients to use a small amount of marijuana when a licensed physician recommends it for the symptoms of a number of medical conditions including multiple sclerosis. Governor Jon Corzine has said that he would sign the bill into law when it gets to his desk.

CMM-NJ, a 501(c)(3) public charity, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the benefits of safe and legal access to medical marijuana. For more info, contact:

- Please attend a rally at the court house at 20 N. Bridge St., Somerville, NJ on Fri., 8/21 from 11AM to 2PM in support of multiple sclerosis (MS) patient John Wilson, who faces 20 years in prison for growing marijuana to treat his disease. John was forbidden by the judge to even mention his medical condition during his trial. For directions and parking call 908-231-7000. Local police ask only that the rally be peaceful and not obstruct traffic and be confined to the sidewalks in front of the court house.

- In addition to the Somerville rally, CMMNJ will appear at the following upcoming events:

· Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival, 10/1-4 in Madison, WI and the New York Harvest Fest 10/9-12.

· the NJ League of Municipalities Conference in Atlantic City in November.

- CMMNJ members continue to contact and meet with legislators regarding the overly restrictive “substitutions” to the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act which is due for a vote by the entire Assembly this November. Tell your legislators that you want the Senate version of the bill that does not contain these restrictions, to pass into law. Discussion re: print and video ads.

- CMMNJ has new photos, etc. on Facebook and Facebook Friends of CMMNJ.

-Treasury report: Current account balances: Checking: $4129.89; PayPal: $133.23. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) organization. All funds received go towards public education about medical marijuana. Donations may be made securely through Paypal or checks made out to “CMMNJ” and sent to corporate headquarters at the address below. Get a free t-shirt for a donation above $15—specify size. Thank you for your support.

9:00 PM Adjourn meeting.

Scheduled meetings are Sept. 8, Oct. 13, & Nov. 10, 2009. CMMNJ meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at the Lawrence Twp. Library from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM. All are welcome. Snacks are served. The library is at 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Twp., Tel. #609.882.9246. (Meeting at the library does not imply their endorsement of our issue.) For more info, contact:

Ken and Jim at Redbank Fundraiser

About The Coalition

Coalition members hold diverse opinions, but we all agree:

Arresting patients is wrong, and it must stop now.

Modern clinical research, centuries of experience and the impassioned personal accounts of thousands of real patients concur: Marijuana can alleviate symptoms of certain serious medical conditions, and it can do so when other drugs fail to help.

Doctors should be free to recommend this medicine to promote health, and sick or injured New Jerseyans should be free to use it responsibly.

The safety margin for therapeutic marijuana is as wide as it can be ─there is no known lethal dose.

New Jersey healthcare professionals dispense potentially lethal drugs every day. We trust them to do so very carefully, and solely to benefit their patients. Common sense and compassion demand that doctors should control non-lethal marijuana medicine for those who truly need it. To make this important change a reality, your voice is needed.

The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was introduced in the State Senate in January 2005 by Senator Nicholas Scutari (D-Linden). A companion bill is pending in the Assembly, sponsored by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton) and Assemblyman Michael Carroll (R-Morris Township).